This invention relates generally to dispensing arrangements and, more particularly, to arrangements for dispensing odorizing or scented materials for use with upright vacuum cleaners.
A vacuum cleaner removes dirt and other foreign particles from a surface being cleaned and deposits them in a dirt collecting bag or other receptacle. However, by the nature of their operation, vacuum cleaners exhaust air which, although filtered, can often contain unpleasant odors which emanate from the particles being picked up. It is well known that such unpleasant odors can be offset or masked by placing or injecting scented material into the air stream of a vacuum cleaner. In canister type vacuum cleaners, there is generally space available within the canister body for mounting of a dispenser. In contrast, an upright vacuum with a relatively compact main body and a handle supported soft air pervious outer bag presents a more difficult dispenser mounting problem.
It is known to mount odorizing dispensers on or in a main body of an upright cleaner with material being dispensed by creating an auxiliary air flow from atmosphere and across the dispensing material. However, such approaches can often be expensive since they often require the cleaners to be specially designed or redesigned to provide for dispenser mounting and the establishment of the necessary air flow channels.
It is also known to provide dispenser arrangements for upright cleaners having impervious bags or casings which surround a dirt collecting filter bag. Dispensers have been attached to an interior wall of such impervious casings so that scented material contained therein is exposed to a portion of the filtered air prior to its being exhausted through an exhaust outlet of the impervious casing. In other known arrangements, all the air from the filter bag is directed through additional filters treated with deodorizing or disinfectant material which are positioned near an exhaust outlet opening of the impervious casing. However, in upright cleaners with soft air pervious outer bags, it is often not desirable to replace soft pervious outer bags with such an impervious casing arrangement because such a change could diminish cleaning performance of the unit due to the accompanying alteration in air flow.
It is also known to dispense odorizing material in an upright cleaner by placement of the material directly in a filter bag thereof or by providing the bag with a side mounted pocket of pervious material into which dispensing material is disposed. Although such arrangements are readily utilized with different types or styles of upright cleaners, they do have certain disadvantages. For example, the rate of dispensing generally cannot be varied to fit particular applications or needs. In addition, termination of dispensing, even for a short duration, requires removal of the dispensing material which is especially difficult if the material has been dropped into the interior of a filter bag.
Thus it would be advantageous to develop a new and improved dispensing arrangement for upright vacuum cleaners having soft air pervious outer bags which can easily be incorporated into existing units without affecting their cleaning performance. It would also be advantageous to develop a dispensing arrangement which could provide selectivity so as to permit the user to control dissemination of odorizing material according to the particular conditions encountered. It would also be highly desirable to provide a dispenser which is readily accessible to the user and one which would permit quick and easy refill and control.